


the laugh behind your hand

by orangeprint



Category: X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: M/M, Pining, but wooseok laughs at them uwu, i incorporated wooseok's habit of laughing behind his hand, maybe it's one-sided maybe it's not, minhee and his dad jokes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2021-01-30 21:14:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21434794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orangeprint/pseuds/orangeprint
Summary: Minhee used to think his life was dull until he got attached to one thing.a/n: unbetad, but i hope you enjoy.
Relationships: Kang Minhee & Kim Wooseok | Wooshin
Kudos: 31





	the laugh behind your hand

Minhee finds school very _boring_.

Yet he puts enough effort into studying in his room at late nights, turning off his phone from the lively distractions of the Internet, while occasionally sipping on a glass of cold oolong tea sitting on top of his desk. He doesn’t have a lot of friends. He prefers the indoors than the outdoors. Minhee finds school boring but it’s also something he surprisingly _excels_ in.

Memorizing the answers and creating innovative ways to study for tests come easy for someone like Minhee. He received numerous awards that his parents show off. He’s had his teachers sign him up in scholastic competitions, knowing he’ll snag an award or two for _uhh_ something. He’s what everyone calls a genius. And although it does give him some kind of title in life, a recognized purpose, Minhee longs for something different. Minhee longs for passion and for a surge of adrenaline. He wants to be driven into madness by something he so badly desires.

So when he made his decision to join PDX, he aimed to find that one thing he thinks could light a fire in his heart. A blazing fire.

_ I'm from Starship. My name is Kang Minhee._

_ Hello. I'm from Top Media. My name is—_

**

**"What do you call cheese that’s not your cheese?"** Minhee tried for the third time but none of the '02z replied to him. He was beginning to get upset because no one was appreciating his dad jokes. _I thought of a really good one too :(,_ he sulked inwardly. He stood up from the couch after deciding to go lock himself in his room.

But then suddenly, a voice interrupted. "So?" Minhee turned around to see a short and petite male staring at him with curious eyes. It was Kim Wooseok. "What do you call it?"

**"Nacho cheese,"** he mumbled, sounding awfully insecure. He prepared himself for a silent response or even a snort because that was usually how other people responded to his jokes. What he didn't prepare himself for was Wooseok doubling over and having his laugh shake the living room as noisily as it shook Minhee's static world.

"HAHAHA nice one, Minhee-ya! I didn't think of that!"

The sound of Wooseok's laugh made his stomach bubble up. It was a scorching feeling he has never felt before. His ears vibrated, and his heart pounded.

Minhee used to think his life was dull until he got attached to one thing. 

To make his Wooseok hyung laugh.

**

“…the journal is a lullaby.” Wooseok finished reading. He was baffled and amazed at the same time. “Minhee, you wrote such a controversial and dark journal for your school and still won an award for it? Scary! You are seriously so scary.”

Minhee chuckled. “Yep. I made everyone my bitc-“

“-babies!” Wooseok cut him off with a stern look.

Minhee grinned wider. “My babies.” The two were currently in Wooseok’s room, lying down on the bed after a heated match of Mobile Legends on their phones when Wooseok came across Minhee’s past written journal while stalking their fans on Twitter.

Minhee reached out a hand to ruffle his hyung’s hair but Wooseok’s fast reflex got him to avoid the incoming touch by moving his head to the side.

“Nu-uh. I’m the hyung. I get to ruffle your hair. Not the other way around.” To prove his point Wooseok combed his fingers through Minhee’s soft fringes, quietly laughing as soon as Minhee relaxed at the feeling of his warm hand, rubbing their head against his palm like a giant puppy.

“Wooseokie~” Minhee teased, eyes closed and with his guards completely down. He was only ever like this to his Wooseok hyung.

“Yeah?”

**“Why did the tomato blush?” **

Wooseok smiled, expecting this to be another one of the younger boy’s lame but hilarious dad jokes. “Why?”

**“Because it saw the salad dressing.”**

“Pfft!” Wooseok let out a loud snort before full-blown laughing at the joke. “Kang Minhee! HAHAHA I swear to God! HAHAHA wait—aren’t your jokes lately bordering on mature themes?! Which adult do I have to talk to for being a bad influence to you!? Say a name and I will teach them a lesson!”

Opening his eyes, Minhee simply arched his brow at the reddened-cheeks hyung who was now huffing for breath after laughing and then immediately yelling in outrage. “I don’t think you’re in any position to teach someone a lesson, hyung. You’re the one who keeps stripping on stage. You know—“ he paused for a moment, wondering if he should or should not admit the following words out loud. _Eh. What the heck?_ “I copy you sometimes. Like I purposely show my shoulder on stage to make One Its go crazy.”

“The blasphemy!” Wooseok gasped. “What have I done?! Oh no. You have to know that my intention was never to—” the rest of his words go deaf into Minhee’s ears.

It’s a secret that Minhee carries alone. A secret he doesn’t know how long he can keep. But it’s related to the kindling fire in his heart. The one keeping him intact. Safe from the hollows of a dull life and a dull world.

“…you know I care about you a lot, Minhee!” This part the young lad hears.

_I know._ Minhee wants to say.

Right in front of him is a rope tied around his waist to keep him from falling down an endless cliff, a tape that sticks his loose-end corners on a yellow sturdy wall, or simply, a man who’s oblivious to all the good things Minhee has come to hold and treasure.

He likes Wooseok hyung like this. A babbling but caring mess. Mouth opening and closing, words flowing out of their lips Minhee could barely register or understand. Their eyes only staring at him with worry and of _something else_ he can’t dare himself to put a name on. It’s wishful thinking on his part, _really_. There are only two sides to a coin and while one could offer him a burst of rainbow explosions, of the love he craves and secretly desires…the other side is a comforting net, of a love he needs but can only take at a bare minimum.

**Do you only love me as a brother or is what you feel for me something more?** It’s a question he can only repeat inside his head, afraid that the answer he’d receive is the former.

“...kinda hungry. So what do you say? Hello~ Ya. Kang Minhee. Are you even listening to me?”

Wooseok crossed his arms with a small pout, looking like a kicked kitten. For a second, Minhee's brain shut down because of the adorable sight in front of him, which by the way says a fucking lot since he's a proclaimed genius. Even math equations don't give him mental problems! So how can a simple frown do him so much damage? He began mentally shouting at himself with a big fat _NO! Don’t even think about kissing those lips. Shut up. Don’t think. Be stupid and just look away_.

“Y-yeah, ok." He awkwardly stuttered. "I’m hungry too. Should we tell everyone to gather in the living room so we could order food?”

Wooseok’s eyes sparkled while nodding his head. “Mmm!”

The two went out of the room with Minhee slowly lagging behind. Wooseok spotted Hyeongjun watching TV on the couch before running to coddle the boy with his tight hugs. “Aigoo~ Junnie! Are you hungry? We were thinking of ordering—”

“Don’t tell me it’s spicy chicken feet again!” Hyeongjun whined.

The older boy laughed. “Nope. Jokbal this time!”

The horror in Hyeongjun’s face made Wooseok laugh harder. “Hyung!!! Those two are practically the same thing! Just with different sauces! I’m not eating with you two anymore!”

_Ah. There it is._ The reason why Minhee enjoys studying at night. It’s not because of the homework he still has to do for his boring classes. It’s nothing school related but he does take diligent notes as he surfs the web. In a little blue leather notebook, he keeps underneath his pillow, he writes all the funny and interesting dad jokes he comes across the Internet to reserve for later use.

He prepares them for his tiny hyung and everyday, he anticipates for their reaction. What's satisfying about him telling a dad joke is hearing the sound of Wooseok’s beautiful laugh which he hides behind his hand. The feeling of making someone you like laugh is both maddening and addicting. He doesn't know if he can ever stop since he realized that Wooseok's laugh has become his daily drug.

And honestly, Minhee doesn't want to stop. He wants to have this shared connection with Wooseok just a little longer. To keep the fire burning until eventually, he sets himself on fire.

**

“Why did Kang Minhee prevent his Wooseok hyung from covering his laugh with his hand?”

“Uhm, is this another one of your dad jokes? HAHAHA ok then why?”

“Because—

I want to engrave the sight of your laughter in my head. That even though I like seeing you with a happy expression on your face, I love it more when I know that the reason why you’re laughing is because of me.”

Wooseok’s voice trembled. “Minhee-ya, I-I don’t get the joke.” His eyes have turned misty; tears threatening to fall.

Minhee took a deep breath.

He relaxed his nerves by standing tall with confident shoulders. He even told his rapidly beating heart to _suck it up in there!_

He swallowed down his fears.

“Unfortunately—I ran out of dad jokes, hyung.” Minhee confessed. “I just like you.”


End file.
